Below are some steps Alton Towers’ customer service takes in order to make their customers’ time at the theme park a joyful one.
- “We ensure that guest needs always met by providing 100% commitment
- Smile
- Make eye contact
- Be courteous and polite: show respect.
- Greet the customer politely.
- Show enthusiasm
- Do not discriminate.”
By taking these steps Alton Towers is not only providing the best service possible for their customers but also maintains good reputation so that the customers relate their experience to families and friends.
By keeping in mind the Consumer Protection Act of 1987, the theme park ensures that customers knowledgeable of the benefit and dangers arising from the many rides customers can choose from. The theme park’s considerations in relation to this practice are:
- Know the product- be confident
- Give correct information
- Explain thing clearly
- Tell people of the choice there are
- Know where to access information.
- Update information constantly.
By following these steps the theme park provide a good customer service for it customers. Alton Tower believes that part of having consideration for its customers is by presenting a positive image. The theme park’s customer service has to:
- Behave professionally
- Wear the appropriate uniform
- Maintain standard of appearance
- Ensure place of work is clean and tidy
- Anticipate potential guest problems/hazards and resolve them before they trouble guests.
- Enhance guest relations by encouraging guest feedback.
Furthermore, Alton Tower’s customer service takes some further steps to provide a good customer service. They:
- “Always remain pro-active looking for opportunities to help, even if people don’t ask
- Treat every individual guest like a v.i.p
- Check that they do satisfy the guest
- Try to exceed expectations
- Keep focusing on ay of improving our service and product delivery.”
Closely looking at the consideration Alton Tower’s customer service has offered its customers; it’s no doubt that it has a good customer service. However in case of complaints, the customer service makes sure that it deals with them in a similar manner. Alton Tower regards complaints as ‘an invaluable form of customer feedback’ that results in an immediate review of the theme park’s services and products. Complaints are dealt with on the park, through a form or telephone. (An example of a complaints form on which the customer making the complaint has to fill is displayed next page.). Alternatively, customer service personnel can complete compliant forms over phone. All complaints made are the logged a sophisticated system hereby various report are generated and then used by management of Alton Towers.
Following are some steps the customer service personnel considers when dealing with a compliant from a customer.
- Be calm
- Empathize/ sympathize
- Use positive body language
- Don’t justify- offer solution not explanations
- Use an area where staff and guest feel comfortable to deal with the complaint
- Listen- be patient and pay attention
- Try to find out what can be done to make the guest feel better and act on it.
- Be aware of when to call for assistance
- Make sure any further communication is agreed with the guest.
Internal customers
Internal customers are specific people and departments who need you to help them
External Customers
There are different types of external customers and they all have different needs. They all expect to have these needs recognised and dealt with, and to be treated well by the members of the organisation. The groups are sorted out by those most frequently used within the travel and tourism industry.
Individuals
Individuals are those customers who are making enquiries or bookings on their own behalf. They may be independent travellers who contact a variety of organisations in order to obtain information to make up their own package. They may be individuals who are travelling alone on business, who need to arrange transport or accommodation for him or her only. They business traveller may require additional facilities in his or her accommodation, such as a telephone/modem link, wake up calls and newspapers and car parking to leave their cars when in a meeting. Form the above; we can see that there are different expectations of individuals even though they are classed as a single customer category. The responses given must relate to the requests of the customer.
Groups
These could include families, parties of young people going on holiday together, students on a residential break, or clubs and societies going to events for example
Different age groups
Groups can be made up of customers of widely differing ages. This may be seen on a package holiday where the overseas reprehensive is welcoming new arrivals and the audience is made up of a variety of people. Different holidays will apply to different age groups of people as there interests are very different and therefore they want different things from a holiday. It is important not to offend any age group when dealing with customers in this category, speak to all in general terms, but highlight various features of the resort which might appeal to different age groups. If a venue is trying to appeal to different age groups, then there needs to be a variety of activities and facilities, which would interest those age groups.
Different cultural Groups
Customers can be from widely differing cultural groups, and therefore from a culture that is different from your own. They do not necessarily have to be visitors from within the UK who have a different cultural background from yourself. This cultural diversity can be in terms of food (Indian, Chinese or Kosher for example) or beliefs (Hindu, Muslim, Judaism or Shinto, for example), or even style and mode of dress. Avoid offence through inappropriate language, attitude and moral behaviour.
Non-English speakers or those with limited understanding of English
These customers have to be considered in terms of their specific needs. If you have to give directions for example, it’s often simpler to draw a diagram that can be easily followed. The international display signage for such things as fire exits, baggage collection points or any particular facility within the organisation can be used, as these are well recognised and can be clearly understood.
Customers with specific needs
There are many types of specific needs that organisations need to consider. Here are some examples:
Families with young children
Customers with impaired mobility (e.g. wheelchair users, those on crutches)
Those with hearing problems including the deaf
Those with sight problems, including the blind
The elderly
Customers with special dietary requirements (e.g. gluten free, vegetarian, Kosher)
As we can see it may be a question of wheelchair accessibility, special rooms in hotels designed to accommodate those with impaired mobility, handrails on stairs or in toilets, avoidance of hazards, which may not be noticed by those with impaired vision, assistance on transport services, baby-changing facilities etc. Communication may be difficult with someone who has speech impairment. Many organisations have hearing loop systems to aid communication with these groups of customers. Customers with young children often require access for prams. People that cannot stand for a long period of time.
Price or value for money
Alton towers costs £36.00 for one adult ticket, so when you purchase the ticket you expect to get value for money which is different for different people, one persons value for money might be fun for the whole family (adults, children and teenagers) another persons value for money might be to visit every ride in the theme park twice.
So Alton towers needs to take in consideration that everyone’s value for money is different but cannot lower there prices to low due to competitive organisations and the annual funding needed to keep the park open, so what Alton towers have done is printed off booklets informing people of the prices and opening times of the theme park, height restrictions on rides seasonal times (the time of year that the park is most popular) online information and website from this booklet people can see.
Consistency and accuracy of the park
If customer receive a good amount of customer service while at Alton towers and this continues each time it encourages people to revisit again and again, Alton towers is forever trying to improve its standard of customer service and rides to make it more enjoyable for people, they are now trying to improve the waiting lines so that rides are easier to access and the lines go down quicker.
Accessibility
Alton towers have a very good accessibility due to the high amounts of people arriving and departing from the park. Alton towers has increased there car parks so that they can now hold up to 50,000 vehicles a day if the accessibility is bad then customers will assume that it is like this all around the park, there are also ramps to help people who cannot walk up steps or are in a wheelchair, rides also let wheel chair users access the ride from the exits which are also ramped so that access is more easier.
Reliability
If Alton towers is unreliable then people are influenced to try another theme park. But Alton towers is not unreliable this is what attracts customers to come back, they keep there internet and brochures up-to-date and let customers know what is going on around the park this is reliable because if they where closed one day and they didn’t advertise it lots of people would still turn up at the theme park expecting to get in.
Staff
At Alton towers they employ the best staff that are trained to deal with the high expected levels of customer service, staff all where a uniform this to ensure that they remain clean and recognized Alton towers also employs over 1500 members of staff and they are all divided to work over different areas of the park to help with customers.
In busy periods e.g. over the summer Alton towers employs more ‘casual staff’ that can handle high amounts of customers and that can deal with them in an appropriate manner
Health and safety
If the health and safety of the park is poor the customers will not visit again but if the high standards are noticeable then they will enjoy there visit a lot more, at Alton towers rides have regular maintenance checks and are run in the morning before the park opens to ensure that there are no faults.
Cleanliness and hygiene
The cleanliness and hygiene standards of Alton towers is essential if the park looks unclean this gives a really bad first impression when the customer see it , the park has been given hundreds of bins, there are also designated litter pickers that patrol the park every 15 minutes, toilets that are all around the park are monitored every 40 minutes to ensure they remain clean and tidy.
Enjoyment
The main objective at Alton towers is to make everyone’s day (who visits the park) as enjoyable as possible, they do this by trying to get lines and queues down as quick as possible, offering people fast track system so the can skip the queues, more fast food restaurants are being introduced this will help to reduce the overall queue times.